Designer and artist Daniel Triendl (@daniel_triendl) was born and raised in Austria, but that hasn’t stopped him from making gorgeous art that appeals to people around the world. He uses bold colors and clean silhouettes to create pieces that are at once simple and sophisticated. His commercial clients include BudLight and Volkl Snowboards, and his personal work includes constant challenges and experiments.

Interviewer Alexi Ueltzen (@alexi) is Ello’s Community Evangelist. If she’s not at the office, she’s probably swimming, getting muddy with her dogs or baking cookies. Seriously. The best cookies.

Alexi: Tell us a little about your background. How did you get interested in digital art and design?
Daniel: I was born and raised in Austria in the beautiful mountainous region of Tyrol. I later moved to Salzburg. I was a snowboarding kid growing up and was fascinated by skate and snowboard graphics. I loved the cool colourful illustrations on the boards, but I never thought I could make them. When I bought my first laptop, I experimented with Paint and graphic programs, and fell in love with digital art.

Alexi: You’ve got such distinctive style – has your work always been bold and bright, or did it take you a while to develop your aesthetic?
Daniel: It took me a while to get here and I’m still trying to figure out who I am and what works best for myself. I think it’s more of a lifelong project spurred by my curiosity which I hope will never stop. I try to give my work a positive spin. It's important to me that my work should make people feel good, it's one of the reasons I use bright colours. I like to work playful in a bold and simple way, I think that reflects more of my personality.

Alexi: What software or tools do you use the most?
Daniel: Mostly, Photoshop and Illustrator but also Cinema 4D sometimes.

Alexi: What is the art community like in Vienna?
Daniel: There is a big and thriving art community in Vienna, with nice galleries and beautiful museums. It's very often focused on traditional art, so sometimes it feels like digital art is not truly accepted as an art form. Despite this, a lot of young creatives are pushing things further and the scene is much more progressive.

For example my friends LWZ are holding a exciting exhibition called "Ring Ging Bling." Atelier Olschinsky too, makes Vienna so much more exciting by showing super talented artists in their gallery and organizing creative workshops. My friends who are also artists in Vienna are talented, inspiring people who think out of the box and make the city really enjoyable for me.

Alexi: What inspires you, or where do you go for inspiration?
Daniel: I try to draw inspiration from my daily life and the things around me. I collect a lot of ideas and images in my notes and often reference them at the beginning of a new project. I also experiment with shapes, materials and forms.

Alexi: What’s next for you? Are there any new mediums you want to explore?
Daniel: I just acquired a Wacom Cintiq and I'm curious to see what it feels like to draw on a screen as it's something completely new to me.

Alexi: What are your thoughts on social media, and how it helps or hurts artists today? Specifically, can you share some thoughts on Ello?
Daniel: Social media is a super efficient and effective tool — lots of opportunities have presented themselves to me because of it. Everyone has the chance to share their own message on a global scale. Its also really easy to connect and interact with people. I've made friends with people across the world who I never would have met without such platforms. It allows me to keep in touch with people with ease and often in real time.

On the other hand, the pace of social media nowadays is unbelievably fast. It can also be quite stressful when checking your feed and seeing everyone's updates. It makes me think I should make more work in less time, but if I did that I wouldn't enjoy it as much.

I have to remind myself to focus on myself and on my own vision. Its very hard to switch off especially with all the distractions. So like you said it helps and can hurt at the same time.

Compared to other social media platforms, I really love Ello and its positive approach to art. It feels open minded and refreshing in comparison to other mediums. A lot of nice people are here and the support from the team feels is encouraging. I really dig that.

Alexi: What’s one of your favorite projects you’ve worked on so far?
Daniel: My favourite recent project was was the Okulus Drift project for Vienna based artist, B.visible. B.Visible, first requested a logo design but in the end we developed a refreshed and unique identity featuring a minimal yet bold palette and fun animated gifs. The process was creatively satisfying and I'm proud of the finished product.
Alexi: What do you like to do when you’re not parked in front of a computer?
Daniel: I try to relax and recharge. I've found for me this is often best experienced outdoors in nature with friends and Austria offers a perfect landscape for that. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I enjoy a beer with friends in a bar just as much.